Getting There

Getting to Zermatt and your chalet in the alps

Travel advice for reaching our Zermatt apartment rentals

Have you decided to ski in Switzerland? Ride beneath the Matterhorn? If you have chosen a Zermatt apartment rental and need help planning your journey then read on for the most comprehensive guide on the internet. Zermatt is not as far as it may seem and getting here can be an enjoyable part of your holiday.

As specialists in all things Zermatt, including apartment rentals and travel, we will do our best to advise you on the easiest way to travel.

Our Top Tips:

Free train travel for children up to age 16, and save over 30% on your adult return rail transfer tickets to Zermatt
Swiss railways offer visiting tourists the opportunity to buy a greatly discounted return transfer rail ticket from any airport in Switzerland to their final destination for a flat rate of CHF 127 (GBP 78) per adult in second class and CHF 193 (GBP 119)per adult in first class. Children up to the age of 16 accompanied by at least one adult travel for free. These tickets must be purchased in advance outside Switzerland, and can be bought online at http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/produkttexte.php?passid=3.

New fights from London to Sion resume for a second season. Cut Zermatt transfer times to just 75 minutes by flying to Sion Airport from just GBP 80 each way.This dramatically reduces transfer times to reach Zermatt; Sion is just 1 hour and 15 minutes away from Zermatt by taxi, car or coach. Visit www.snowjet.co.uk to book your flights.

Our favoured method of travel: Fly to Zurich or Geneva and take the train to Visp, where you change to the mountain train direct to Zermatt. The whole train journey is very scenic and comfortable, going alongside lakes, vineyards and mountains with typically Swiss efficiency. If you are in a hurry, or have a lot of luggage or children, then from Visp book  a limousine or people carrier transfer direct to Zermatt.

And now on to the detail:

A car is not really useful in Zermatt because the village is entirely car-free  all cars must be parked in Tasch, the last village before Zermatt  from where there is a shuttle train or taxi into Zermatt (12 minutes).

Flying to either Zurich or Geneva airports is the most convenient. Note that many of our Zermatt apartment rentals run from Sunday to Sunday in order to avoid the Saturday ski travel crowds and costs. From the UK and other European countries, it typically takes a good half day to get to Zermatt, which is comparable to most  resorts and chalets in the alps. There isnt usually time to ski on the day of arrival, but if you book a late flight back then you can often get a full days skiing on departure day.

A fast train tunnel has reduced journey times from Zurich and Basel to Zermatt by one hour, making them quicker gateways than Geneva if you are travelling by train. (Note that if you prefer a limousine transfer all the way from the airport, then Geneva or Sion are the quickest options).; The main railway hub in the valley is Visp, where you change from the mainline train to the narrow-gauge red mountain train. The last train departing from Visp to Zermatt; leaves at 22:40 Mon-Sat; and at 23:23 on Sundays.

Airport Overview

Because Geneva is a major gateway for skiers wishing to ski Switzerland, it is often very busy and flights can become expensive at peak times. In addition to Zurich, Basel and Sion; the Milan airports are well worth considering, especially Milan Malpensa, which is geographically the closest airport to Zermatt.

Open jaw flights: many airlines, including BA and Easyjet (and Swiss if you book on a site such as Expedia) will allow you to book your outbound flight to one airport and your inbound from a different airport, so for instance you can fly into Zurich and back from Geneva. This is well worth considering for increased price and schedule options.

Airport transfer times to Zermatt: here is an overview of average train times and driving times from surrounding airports to Zermatt.

Geneva and Zurich have very convenient train stations at the airports, which enable you to take your baggage cart directly from arrivals to the train. The other destinations require a transfer from the airport to the nearest train station by either bus or taxi. This takes 10 minutes at Milan Malpensa and up to 60 minutes at Milan Bergamo. We give you more details below under each airport heading.

Sion flights land in the early afternoon so train connections are straightforward and the airport is just a short taxi ride way from the train station. However, if flying to Sion you could take a taxi all the way into Zermatt, do ask us for details.

The two essential tools which we use when travelling ourselves are:

http://www.skyscanner.net

Skyscanner simultaneously searches all flights by all carriers, both low-cost and regular, between any two points in Europe, and gives you total prices including all fees and surcharges, thus making comparisons very easy.

All train times including to/from Italy are taken from the Swiss Railways website:

http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

Top Tip: Don't forget that, as we mentioned above, Swiss railways offer visiting tourists the opportunity to buy a greatly discounted return transfer rail ticket (and free for children under 16) visit http://www.swisspasses.com to buy yours online.

Geneva Airport

Swiss, British Airways, Easyjet and BMI are the airlines with the most flights to Geneva.

In our experience the best deals are either with Easyjet or Swiss - the latter can be surprisingly useful, especially from London City Airport. If you can't find availability or a good price, then it's worth looking at Zurich, Basel, or Milan Malpensa.

The train station is in the airport building and you can take baggage trolleys on the escalators - they have specially designed rubber teeth! Take the mainline train toward Brig and change at Visp for the small-gauge red train which winds its way up the valley to Zermatt. Trains usually leave at 27 min past the hour.

If you are arriving at the airport late in the evening, it will be necessary to do the final leg, between Visp and Zermatt, by limousine. This costs around CHF50 per person if there are 4 or more travelling together. Limousines need to be pre-booked and we would be glad to do so for you.

Last train with connection to Zermatt:
Geneva Airport dep: 19:47
Zermatt arrive: 23:44

Last direct train to Visp:
Geneva Airport dep: 22:27
Visp arrive: 00:57, then Taxi.

First Train from Zermatt to Geneva:
Zermatt depart: 05:39
Geneva Airport arrive: 09:33

Zurich Airport

Like Geneva, it is equally convenient in having a train station under the airport building and escalator friendly trolleys; the train transfer is faster than from Geneva. In addition to Swiss, BA, Easyjet and other European airlines, there are also more intercontinental flights to Zurich than to Geneva, making Zurich the best choice for overseas visitors.

Last train with connection to Zermatt:
Zurich airport depart: 20:13
Zermatt arrive: 23:44

First train from Zermatt to Zurich:
Zermatt depart: 05:39
Zurich Airport arrive: 09:16

Basel EuroAirport

Journey time to Zermatt is shorter by 20 minutes than from Zurich, but the train station is not in the airport, so you need to transfer by bus or taxi. The bus from the airport to the main train station, Basel SBB, leaves every 10 minutes, and takes 20 minutes. The last train leaves Basel SBB at 20:30, arriving in Zermatt at 23:44.

Milan Malpensa Airport

This airport is the closest to Zermatt as the crow flies, however the transfer to the train station and the connections are slightly less convenient. On the other hand, flights can be very low cost. It lies to the North-West of Milan, toward the Swiss Alps. The nearest train station is a 10 minute, 10 euro taxi ride away at Gallarate. From there mainline express 'Pendolino' tilting trains go to Brig in Switzerland where you change onto the little red mountain train. Total train journey time is usually 3:45 hours.

In addition to BA and Alitalia; Easyjet flies from London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh to Malpensa, while Flybe goes from Birmingham and Manchester. Prices can be very advantageous compared to Swiss airports, particularly at peak dates such as school holidays. It is of course perfectly feasible with Easyjet to fly out to Geneva or Zurich and back from Malpensa, or vice-versa, for instance.

Last connecting train from Gallarate to Zermatt (change in Brig):
Gallarate depart: 19:56
Zermatt arrive: 23:44

First connection from Zermatt to Gallarate:
Zermatt depart: 06.13
Gallarate arrive: 09:27

Milan Linate Airport

This is slightly less convenient than Malpensa because you need to go around or through Milan to head toward the mountains. On the other hand, the transfer to Milano Centrale train station is quite fast (20-30 minutes by taxi or direct bus) and the shopping is divine!

Last train from Milano Centrale:
Main station depart: 19.25
Zermatt arrive: 23:44

Milan Bergamo Airport

The attraction of this airport is that it is served by Ryanair which means cheap flights. This airport is 1/2 hour farther than Linate, also requiring you to go around or through Milan to head toward the mountains. The transfer to Milano Centrale train station is by shuttle-bus and takes 50min. The last connecting train to Zermatt is at 19:25.

Bern Airport

This is a small provincial airport; however Flybe flies there from Southampton and Birmingham. BA flies to Bern from Brussels.

Sion Airport

The closest airport to Zermatt. However, there is currently only one international flight from London Stansted. Tickets can be bought from: http://www.snowjet.co.uk/.

Helicopter Transfers

The quickest and most spectacular way of getting here; Zermatt has its own heliport. One way of experiencing this luxury is to take the train to Sion, and the helicopter transfer from there, which keeps costs down.